Uniformly heated rotary drum



Y May 4, 1965 H. l.. sMn-H, JR

UNIFORMLY HEATED ROTARY DRUM 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 20, 1961 ATTORNEYS May 4, 1965 H. L. SMITH, JR 3,181,605

UNIFORMLY HEATED ROTARY DRUM Filed June 20, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Horace LSm|rh,Jr.

ATTORNEYS May 4, 1965 H. L. SMITH, .JR

UNFORMLY HEATED ROTARY DRUM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 20, 1961 INVENTQR HoracevLSnfmhJr BY y@ /lllll a ATTORNEYS` l May 4 1965 H. SMITH, JR 3,181,605 Y UNIFORMLY HEATED ROTARY DRUM Filed June 20, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I E 2 4o L so`\\\ g l W/// @am ATTORNEYJ` May 4, 1965 H. SMITH, JR

UNIFORMLY HEATED ROTARY DRUM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 20, 1961 Horace Lfmifh, Jr

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O M 3,181,605 UNIFY HEATED RTARY DRUM Horace L. Smith, Jr., Richmond, Va., assigner to Hopp Corporation, Cleveland, Ghio, a corporation of Virginia Filed .lune 20, 1961, Ser. No. 118,439 Claims. (Cl. 165-90) This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 98,873, filed March 28, 1961, now abandoned.

This invention relates to Iheat transfer apparatus such as drums and to platens of relatively large size utilized in the production of adhesively bonded laminated panels, and to methods of their construction.

Multiplaten hot plate presses are used extensively in the manufacture of plywood, laminated plastic products, etc. The conventional design may consist of platens of hollow or channeled construction, which are heated as by steam ilowing through passageways formed therein. Between opposite faces of such platens, a labyrinth is provided for the conduction of a heated fluid to elevate as uniformly as possible, the temperature of the entire face of the platen. Drums for atwork ironing may have such labyrinth construction.

The formation of such a labyrinth is one of the major problems in current methods of platen and drum construction since the labyrinth must be constructed between two metallic plates Where working space is extremely limited and the labyrinth must be luid tight to contain the heating :fluids such as commonly employed steam under pressures which may be relatively high, When the platen is made of a single piece of material, one method resorted to in the past for forming the labyrinth has been to drill holes longitudinally and transversely between the opposite exposed faces of the platen. This requires considerable skill and hence has proven expen- -sive in applications where it was done successfully. If the platens are cast, the labyrinth may be formed by coring the mold. This, too, is an expensive procedure and, at times, uncertain o-f results as to the precise form and free-owing condition of the labyrinth. Another practice is the welding of partition strips between top and bottom plates, as set forth in United States Patent No. 2,627,290. This procedure has the disadvantage of being usable only with platens of relatively large thicknesses, in the order of 12 inches for example.

Drums or rolls such for example as shown in United States Patent No. 2,837,833 to Coudriet pose a similar problem in lconstruction of the labyrinth. In the construction of drums such as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the Coudriet patent, the welding of the helical strips t0 the inner and outer cylindrical shells pose manufacturing problems of considerable magnitude.

Some hot plate press operations simply require keeping the platens hot whereas others require heating the platens for a certain time duration, as for a curing portion of the cycle, and then cooling the platens, and consequently the product, before pressure is relieved. When steam is used to heat the platens, usually cold Water is circulated through the platens to remove the heat. This process is satisfactory only for certain operative conditions however. In many instances, higher platen temperatures are desirable but cannot ybe obtained due to practical pressure considerations. Moreover, many prior art platens cannot be adequately heated at a uniform temperature over their entire surfaces, and therefore create uneven curing or other heat treating effects.

Briey, the above and other disadvantages of the prior art devices are overcome by the present invention which ldlt Patented May 4, 1965 provides a platen apparatus and a method of construction therefor, which enables the manufacturer to easily assemble a platen unit without welding partition strips between the opposed platen contact plates, or without rolling the contact sheets as proposed in United States Patent No. 2,827,552, or using other more expensive and generally less satisfactory prior art methods of platen construction. Accordingly, he present invention provides novel partition elements forming one or more platen fluid flow channels and improved means which hold the platen contact plates in tixed spaced relation. in certain embodiments, novel spacer elements are provided which are easily, permanently secured in place as by external plug welding or other suitable means. Thus, as will become more apparent from the following description, the various platen or drum elements of `the present invention may be assembled with free and open access due to the fact that the partition elements may be assembled in their final positions on one plate and the other plate assembled over the partition elements. For drum or roll constructions, the outer cylindrical member is slid over an upper deformable edge on the partition elements to complet-e the assembly. For platen constructions, tlie welding or the like iixing takes place after the second plate is positioned over the partition elements, and when the latter step is carried ont, the Welds for example, may be applied to external portions of the platen. Thereafter, for platens conventional machining steps (necessary in this as well as prior art processes) may be performed to give the platen the desired finish necessary for platen service. By the present invention a labyrinth for the conduction of huid through the platen in a tortuous sinuous path is accomplished yet the labyrinth forming partition elements need not be permanently secured to either of the platen contact plates, thus minimizing the most difficult problem yet encountered in platen construction.

The present invention may obtain uniform platen or drum heating by providing countercurrent fluid ow in adjacent channels, each of which is of substantially the same length and has substantially the same heat loss, whereby the hot sections of one channel maintain or equalize the cooler temperature of the adjacent channel. Also, to obtain higher and more uniform temperatures without increasing pressure requirements, and in fact decreasing such requirements, it is proposed by the present invention to utilize a liquid instead of steam as the heating and cooling iiuid. Although any suitable liquid may be used, a preferred liquid which creates almost no internal pressure at temperatures in the order of 500 F. or higher, is Aroclor 1248, which is a yellow tinted chlorinated hydrocarbon composition characterized .by its non-flammability, low vaporization loss, stability toward heat, and stability towards acids and alkalies.

In addition to their usefulness in the production of laminates, the platens of the present invention may also be utilized as ilatwork irons in laundries for example, or in other uses Where a ilat or cylindrical heated or cooled surface is desirable.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel heat transfer platen and drum construction embodying plates held in spaced relation by partition elements which also provide an intermediate labyrinth structure forming at least one tortuous flow channel through which heating or cooling fluid may be flowed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel platen construction having countercurrent flow channels therein for obtaining and maintainig relatively uiform temperature conditions on contact surfaces of the platen.

Another object of the'invention is to provide novel channel forming elements such as partition elements interpose/d between the contact plates of the platen, which are strong, easily positioned in the device, and which improve the ow characteristics of heating and coolant uids through the platen. Y I Y Still another object of this invention is to provide ynovel contact plate spacer elements and novel means for securing the spacer elements to the plates.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide spacer studs to spacethe contact plates of said device, and facilitate location of the spacers in alignedapertures formed in the plates for securing the plates together.

It is another .object of the present invention to provide a novel method of constructing a heat transfer device having a pair of spaced plates With partition elements serving -both as means for spacing the plates and means for de- Vning a tortuous sinuous ow path wherein the' partition elements are first ixedly located on one of the plates prior to the time when the other` plate is secured to the device.

A furtherobject is to provide a novel method of assembling a platen or drum of the present invention including forming corresponding aligned aperturesin the platen contact plates, placing partition elements in position to form at least one uid flow channel, and fixing spacer elements in the apertures of the plates whereby Y the plates are held in xed spaced relationship.

Adrum-like device having flow channels therein for circulating heating or cooling fluid in either countercurrent or unidirectional manner, and also to provide a novel method of assembling the drum-like structureV in a simple, but effective Way.

Other objects and advantages of the kpresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from ,the following description, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a platen (parts broken away) having for-med therein, countercurrent iluid flow channels by means of Vpartition elements;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to FIGURE 2 taken at various stages in the assembly of the platen illustrated -in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 6 is a plan View, parts broken away, of another platen construction Vof the present invention embodying a single uid flow channel;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged elevation view in section y taken along line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged Viewl in section'taken along line 8-8 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating one Vform of novel partition elements of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is another section view similar to FIGURE 8 but illustrating another form of lnovel partition elements which may be utilized in forming aow channel or channels in the platen construction of the present invention;

FIGURE 10 is still :another section view similar'to FIGURE 8 but illustrating another form of novel partition element which maybe utilized in accord with the present invention; Y

FIGURE 11 is a plan section view of a drum or roll embodiment of the present invention taken through the central axis thereof;

FIGURE l2 is a development of approximately onehalf the surface of the drum or roll Iof the embodiment shown in FIGURES l1 and 13, showing the preferred channel arrangement;

. 4 FIGURE 13 is :an end elevation in section taken along line 13-13 of FIGURE ll; and

FIGURE 14 is .a fragmentary elevation View in section, taken along line 14-14 of FIGURE 12.

Countercurrent flow platen and assembly Referring now to the drawings, FIGURES l and 2 illustrate a platen construction indicated generally as 20 in accord with the present invention having fluid ow channels A and B. The platen has a pair of opposed contact plates 24 and 28 (referred to herein as upper plate 24 and lower plate 28 as shown in the drawings for ease of description), each of which has a finished outer contact surface 32, 36 respectively for engaging the materials being worked. Plates 24 and 28 are relatively thin rectangular members and are held in Vspaced relationship by a series of spacerV elements such asstuds 40. which extend through aligned corresponding apertures A44 in plates 24 and 28, and by side and end frame members 46, 48. The studs are preferably permanently xed in apertures 44 as by plug welds `50'which are preferably composed of metal ofsubstantially Vthe same composition as plates 24 and 28, or at least of a material which has substantially the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the plate material. Plug welds 50 are shaped in countersunk fashion to afford more weld surface, admit of casier welding, and due to their shape, vinsure against being pulled through the plate while in service.

Studs 40 are arranged in staggered rows across the platen. Each such row provides a pocket for receiving a partition element 52 or 56 which is a wall member preferably of rectangular cross section extending between the inner surfaces of plates 24 and 28 and between studs 40 of each row of studs as Vshown in FIGURE 1. The partition elements need not be welded in place although they may be lightly tack welded for ease in handling during assembly if desired. It is not essential that there be a fluidtight seal between the upper and lower surfaces of the partitions and plates 24 and 28 since slight fluid leakage to or from channel A or B'will not significantly affect the desired temperature conditions ofthe-plates.V

Partitions 52 terminate Yshort lof side frame members 46. The common endsV of adjacent partitions 52 are joined by a closure piece 60, .and a continuous, sinuous partition wall is thereby formed by partitions 52 and closures 60 as shown inV FIGURE l, which wall is terminated at Vits opposite ends by a closure 60 engaging an end wall 4S. Partitions 52 and closures 60 may be preassembled before use ,as by welding,while the end closures which engage end frame member 48 may merely abut the Walls or be lightly tack welded thereto since it is not essential to provide a uid tight seal between these members.

Partitions 56 project alternately from opposite side frame members 46 in which they maybe received in a groove or merely abut [as shown, into the fluctuations of the wall formed by partitions 52 and closures 60, but preferably terminate short of each closure 60. This arrangeyment creates the two substantially parallel but completely separate fluid ow paths A and B for countercurrently conducting fluids through the platen. Alternatively, as will be hereinafter described in connection with FIGURES 8, 9 and 10, partitions 56V may extend from a side frame 46 to a closure 60 for supporting engagement therewith, and the end of partition 56 which engages the closure may be Vperforatedor otherwise provided with openings to permit passage of the fluid in the particular channel in which it is located. Y y

A fluid inlet 64 and a fluid outlet '7.6 atpopposite corners of the platen extend through end frames 48 into channel A at its opposite ends, while inlet 68 and outlet 72 also extending through end frames 48, are open to channel B atits opposite ends. Each of the inlets and outlets may be conventionally adapted for coupling with uid supplying devices such `as pipes, hoses, or the like as is well known.

In operation heating or cooling fluids are circulated through channels A and B countercurrently so that the average temperature at any place on the platen will be approximately the same. Assuming that the heat loss, usually about 50 F. for fluids entering a 66 x 134 inch platen at 550 F., is substantially the same for fluids in channels A and B which are of approximately equal length, it will be apparent that the channels A and B, when considered together at any point, contain fluids which have combined temperatures eqivalent to the mean temperature of the liquids in the system; and by heat transfer through the partitions the fluid temperature in adjacent channel sections will tend to equalize and thereby heat the platen surfaces 32 and 36 more uniformly than would be the case in a single channel platen construction. This heat transfer effect is enhanced by the presence of studs 4&3 and the sharp right angle intersections of partitions 52 with closures 60, which create turbulence in the ow channels and thereby increase the heat transfer coefficient. Also, the thermal conductivity of plates 24, 28 themselves tend to make the platen surface temperature more uniform.

Studs 40, plates 24 andv 28, and partitions 52 and 56 are preferably made from the same metal so that these will have equal thermal expansion properties. This will reduce stresses which might produce undue fluid communication between channels A and B, or produce uneven section of the surfaces 32 or 36 of the platen. The latter is important when it is considered that the surfaces are generally smooth tool finished parallel to within .G05 inch.

The preferred method of assembling the platen illustrated in FIGURES l and 2 is shown in FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 2 respectively. As brought out above, the primary difficulty in prior construction methods revolved around the problem of securing the partition elements in position because relatively thin platens are desirable and the working space between the contact plates posed practical construction limitations since it was necessary to work between the plates. By the method of the present invention, it is merely necessary to place the elements in their desired yposition and thereafter, by a process entirely external to the platen, the component elements are permanently secured together. This is made possible by providing apertures 44 in plates 24 and Z whereby plug welds Si) may be applied. n

Accordingly, the first step (illustrated in FIGURE 3) 1n the novel assembly method of the present invention is to combine the upper and lower plates 24 and 2S as by clamping and drill or otherwise form apertures therein as by tool S0. Simultaneous drilling of the plates insures that the apertures thus formed will be in alignment and will therefore receive the opposite ends of a stud 4t) without canting.

yAfter apertures 44 are formed, and countersunk if desired, lower plate 28 is placed on an assembly jig (indrcated in phantom lines in FIGURES 4 and 5) having up- `standing projections 84 which extend upwardly into apertures 44. As shown in FIGURE 4, side frame members 46 and end. frame members 48 with preformed inlets and outlets if desired, are next positioned and permanently welded at 86 (shown in FIGURES 8-10) and 88 respectively, to the bottom plate on both sides thereof. Partitions 52 and 56 are placed in position between the staggered apertures 44 in each row of apertures. To insure that the partitions retain their positions during assembly and subsequent service, it is preferable to lightly tack weld them in place, although the engagement of studs 4? on opposite sides' of the partitions will usually be adequate. Having sub-assembled lower plate 28, side and end frames 46 and 48, and partitions 52, 56 and 6i), studs 40 yare positioned in openings 44 as shown in FIGURE 5 and plate 24 is then placed over the studs and onto the partitions and frame members in the manner shown in FIGURE 2, to permit studs 4t) to enter the corresponding apertures 44 formed therein. Projections 84 on the assembly jig which are a predetermined uniform height hold the lower ends of studs 49 above surface 36 of lower plate 2S by approximately a distance equal to the height of the projections, and likewise space the upper ends of studs 40 a similar distance below surface 32 of upper plate 24. This affords more than adequate area in apertures 44 for plug welds 5f), and eliminates the necessity of machining the ends of studs 4t? during the exterior platen surface finishing phases of construction which would be undesirable.

After plate 24 is positioned, plug welds 50 in the upper plate are made for fixing studs 40, and welds 92 and 94 are also made to secure plate 24 to the side and end frame respectively. It will be appreciated that it is only necessary to apply welds 92 and 94 to the exterior side of frame members 46 and 48, and once upper plate 24 has been placed in position no work whatsoever is required to be carried out between the frame members and in the space between plates 24 and 28.

Since at this stage, all parts are fixed relative to each other, the assembly may be completed by merely inverting the platen and applying welds 50 to studs 40 and plate 23 in its respective apertures 44. Thereafter surfaces 32 and 36 are ground at least once, and preferably twice, to provide smoothness and uniformity.

Thus, having described the preferred method of platen assembly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made while the prime advantages thereof may be retained. Accordingly, instead of first tack welding the partitions in place on lower plate 28, studs 40 may be welded in upper plate 24 and partitions then placed between the studs and frame memers secured to the plates. Or, instead of locating the studs prior to positioning the upper plate, the latter can be placed over the partitions already assembled on lower plate 23, and the studs inserted through the aligned apertures of both plates. Still another alternative is to employ shouldered studs 146) shown in FIGURE 7 which, by virtue of the shouldered portions, automatically space the stud ends in the contact plate apertures with reference to their depth. While various other modifications such as the order of carrying out the process steps may be made, nevertheless, the basic features of the present invention remain in that the platen is provided with partition walls forming two substantially parallel flow paths between opposed contact plates. The studs and frame members are fixed by means applied exteriorly of the platen, or at least during a stage of assembly in which there is free working access to the parts involved. Further, since the studs are positioned in staggered rows to hold the partition members in place, permanent welding of the partitions to the plates is obviated.

Single channel platen FIGURE 6 illustrates in plan view one half of a substantially symmetric-al platen embodiment of the present invention wherein a single uid iiow channel C is formed for controlling the Contact surface temperatures of the platen. FIGURE 7 is a partial elevation View in section taken along line '7 7 of FIGURE 6.

Platen contact plates 124 and 123 having contact surfaces 132 and 135 respectively, are fixed together in spaced relation by studs 140, which in this embodiment, have a thick body portion with reduced pilot end portions and shoulders on each end thereof for engaging the inner surfaces of plates 124 and 12S, and thereby spacing the stud pilot portions properly into apertures 144 in the plates. Here again, it is preferred to utilize plug welds 150 in countersunk shape for fixing the studs and plates together. Alternatively, of course, the dowel cut studs 4t) shown in FIGURE 2 could be utilized.

The shouldered studs are easier to assemble in the platen construction, but since they require an extra ina- 7 Y Y Y :chining operation to formthe pilot'portions at eachend thereof, th'estuds 40l asY shown in FIGURE 2 areprethe manner in which frame members 46 and 48 are shown and described'connected to plates 24 and 28.

The partitions 152 are all similar. Each is relatively vlong and narrow, and extends from la side frame member 146 .toward the opposite side frame 146. The partitions are of rectangular cross section and span the space betweenV the'inner surfaces ofV plates 124 and 128, The

arrangement -ofpartitions- 152 is such that going from oneV end frame member 148 to another, the partitions 152 extend alternately from thefside frame members 146, but .do not extend completely across thefplaten to the opposite Vside frame member. This arrangement of partitions creates ya single continuous, sinuous channel C for guiding fluids circulated through the platen back and forth from side fra-me member to s'iderframe member as the fluid proceeds in the general direction of tlow from platen inlet to outlet.` p Y The method of assembling the embodiment of theiin- ,vention shown in AFIGURES -6 and v7 may be that described in connection with the countercurrent apparatus fof FIGURES l and l2, withthe exception that by-using Ythe shouldered studs 140 .the necessity of an assembly jig is obviated. t It is obvious that the single channel pl-aten is less expensively constructed and therefore preferred where uniformity of heat application is notsuiciently critical vto warrant the use of Ia countercurrent flow platen, particularly since relatively uniform temperatures are applied by the single channel construction, albeit notto the rened degree of the multi-channel countercurrent service.

Platen apparatus modification Y FIGURES 8, 9 and l0illustrate modications of partitions which may be utilized in either the single or countercurrent ilow channels in the platen of the present invention. For simplicity of description, the section views shown in these figures have been taken through the countercurrent llow apparatus of FIGURE l. It will be understood however, thatthe partitions are equally useable in the single channel apparatus. f Y

In each ofY FIGURES 8, 9V and 10,'opposed contact plates 24 and 28 are shown spacedby side frame members 46, closure 60, and apartition ,170, 174 and 178, respectively. Flow channel A is formed between side frame member 46 and closure 60, While channel B is formed between closure 60 and the partition.

In FIGURE 8, partition 170 is provided with a relatively flat extension 182 of the same Width as the partition.v The extension extends to closure 60 where it may merely abut closure 60, or be engaged therewith by a slot such as shown in FIGURE 8 and designated 186, or it may be welded to closure 60 before top 24 Yis K'assembled onto the platen;- 'I`heextension is a simpley means of Vproviding correct Vendwise spacing for the partition although it may also provide the' partition with additional lateral support and increase the turbulence of the uid owingy 202 Iin closure 60 and is provided with a series of apertures 206 Vwhich increases turbulence as it permits fluid to ow'through channel B.v Y Y 8 u In FIGURE l0, another form of extension 2140 is prolvided for partition 178 which may also engage a slot 214 'in closure 60. Here again, the extension 210 may be of the same width as partition 178 and provides ample space for'the passagewof Vfluid through passageway 218.

i Drum embodiment Illustrated in FIGURES jl l-14 is a drum 250su-itfa1blek for web and belt dryingl forV example, where a heated or cooled uniform temperature roller surface is desired. vThe Vdrum surface may be controlled by fluidsowing countercurrently or unidirectionallythroulgh channels formed in Athet'drum in a manner similar to that described in connection with theV platen embodiments above.

VDrum 250 is comprised of an inner cylindrical shell 254, lan outer shell 258 substantially concentric with shell 254, and end wall plates 262 and 266.` Fluid owchannels are formed between shells 254' and 258 by longitudinal partitions 270 and intermediate partitions 274 which may have a rectangular cross section and be straight as apparent from FIGURE V14. Partitions 27 0 extend alternately from an end plate 262 or 266 vover a major portion of the length of the dnum. Each intermediatel partition 274 is positioned' between a pair of partitions 270. Neither end of an intermediate lpartition contacts an end plate.A The common ends of partitions 274 which extend rbeyond the end of a partition 270 ar-e joined by a closure partition 278 to form a continuous, sinuous wall cornprised of partitions 274 and 278 which divides the space between partitions 270'into two Vadjacent'flow channels lCand D.

A Huid inlet connection 282 extends through an opening in end plate 262. YAs liuid enters the Ydrum it is introduced into channel' C by branch conduit 286 `(as indicated by the arrows in conduit 286) through channel inlet 290,v and intorchannel D by branch conduit 294 :through channel inlet 298 which isV substantially 180 nection 310 extending through end plate 266.

Similarly, fluid entering channel D is divided and forced towardgchann'el outlet 314 which communicates Y with a branch outlet conduit 318 connected to outlet 'connection 310. As is apparent, kfluid ilow in adjacent Vportions of channels C and D is countercurrent thus by any suitable method 'such as welding-,orfby screws inserted through openings in the shell into the bottom side of the partition. i Y Y The top surface of each partition is vprovided with a longitudinal interference t seal 322 secured thereto as by longitudinaltongue and groove or by temperature resistant adhesive means. Each seal is ctv-extensive with `the length of the partition upon which it is'mounted and may beof metal, plastic, orother deformablepmaterial resistant to` changes in temperature and to the fluid ilow-l ing through channelsC and D.

Y To assemblethe drum, all partitions are fixedlyv located, as by welding, on inner shell 254 ini the desired flow path arrangement and the inner shell and partitions are then forced longitudinally into outer shell.258. The deformable seal strips bend over or otherwise ydeform by forces applied by the inner surface of outer shell 258. The force t results in Vouter lshell 258 being spaced from inner-shell 254 by partitions 270, 274 and 27,8 with seal members on the upper edges of the partitions providing adequate seal between channels C and D. TheV end plates may be secured as by welding to the shells at anytime; however, it is preferred that one end be welded or otherwise secured to the outer shell prior to forced insertion of the inner shell, and the other end plates sealed and secured in a final assembly phase.

Since iiuid streams entering either channel C or D split, each portion of the stream travels only through onehalf the length of the channel which it entered and consequently through only one-fourth of' the length of ow channels in the drum. Therefore, in effect, there are actually four different streams of fluid flowing in the device which, due to the relatively shorter channel lengths, reduces inlet-outlet temperature differentials resulting in better temperature uniformity on the drum surface.

Instead of the countercurrent iow arrangement shown in FIGURES 11-13 partitions 274 and 278 may be eliminated and a single fiow channel utilized.

Also, instead of providing the top edge of the partitions 270, 274 and 278 with a deformable sealing strip, the inner surface of drum 258 may have a layer of similar material applied thereto for the same purpose.

In addition, partition extensions such as illustrated and described in connection with FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 may be utilized in the drum construction if desired.

It is the current commercial practice to dry paper, for example sheets of tissue paper, by a steam heated Yankee Drier. The wet incoming sheet passes around a large roll which presses the sheet in intimate contact against the Yankee Drier to squeeze out film and air that would otherwise have a deleterious effect on the final product. Roller loads are normally in the order of ten to fifteen thousand pounds and frequently result in defiecting the surface of an average size drier (14 feet in diameter, l feet wide) by as much as fty-iive thousandths of an inch in the center thereby resulting in a non-uniform application of heat and pressure to the tissue and a consequent lack of final product uniformity. One particular advantage of the present invention is that it may replace a Yankee Dricr in and remarkably improve a paper drying operation by eliminating the previvious drier detiection problems and increasing the drier speed capacity and quality of product being produced at approximately a mile a minute. At such speeds (approximate drum speeds are in the order of 650-900 r.p.m. for 14 foot diameter drums) it is obvious that temperature uniformity is important across the drum surface.

The partition elements positioned between inner and outer shells 254 and 258 are spaced sufiiciently close together as illustrated in FIGURES 12-14 to act as stiffening ribs capable of supporting shell 258 and virtually eliminate deflection and lack of product uniformity problems. Speed is increased by heating with a high boiling point fluid capable of being heated to relatively higher temperatures than steam with no appreciable increase in equipment pressurization requirements. Prior driers have been seriously retarded in capacity simply because steam cannot be heated above about 353 F. without producing excessively high pressure for practical purposes. Practical pressure construction considerations have therefore limited maximum operating temperature.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. Heat exchange apparatus adapted to have a iuid heat transfer medium circulated therethrough to maintain 10 an external surface of said apparatus at a uniform predetermined temperature, comprising:

(a) concentric, spaced apart, cylindrical inner and outer shells of substantially equal length, both of said shells having a substantially uniform thickness tinoughout and the radial distance between said shells being substantially greater than the thickness of either of said shells and substantially smaller than the inner radius of the inner shell;

(b) end walls fixed to said shells at the opposite ends thereof;

(c) longitudinally extending, radially oriented, equiangularly spaced partitions separating and spanning the space between the inner and outer shells, said partitions being first members distinct from said shells and fixed therebetween and the thickness of said members being substantially uniform and substantially less than the distance between adjacent partitions;

(d) means including second members distinct from said shells and said partition members and fixed thereto connecting the passages between said partitions into at least two independent, internested, labyrinthine flow channels extending longitudinally of and around the periphery of the heat exchange apparatus and having a length which is a multiple of the length of said shells; each of said passages being adjacent a passage in another of said channels;

(e) means comprising a heat transfer fluid supply and return system for introducing a heat transfer fluid into and causing it to flow in opposite directions through said channels; and

(f) means by which said apparatus can be rotated about an axis coincident with the centerline of said cylindrical inner and outer shells.

2. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim 1:

(a) wherein the partitions and the connecting means are fixed to one of Said shells; and

(b) including a deformable sealing strip between the opposite edges of said partitions and connecting means and the other of said shells to isolate said internested fiow channels from each other.

3. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim l, wherein the heat transfer fluid supply and return system comprises:

(a) a main inlet conduit extending through one of said end walls to the interior of said inner shell and having a first portion concentric with the centerline of said inner shell and a second portion communicating with said first portion and with one of said flow channels at a point adjacent the other of said end walls;

(b) a branch inlet conduit communicating with the main inlet conduit and with the other of said iiow channels at a point adjacent the other end wall;

(c) a main exhaust conduit extending from the interior of said inner shell through the other end wall to the exterior of the heat exchange apparatus and having a iirst portion concentric with said centerline and a second portion communicating with said first p0rtion and with said other iiow channel adjacent said one end wall; and

(d) a branch exhaust conduit communicating with said main exhaust conduit and with said one flow channel adjacent said other end wall.

4. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said iiuid supply and return system is located in the interior of said inner shell.

5. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein there is a single inlet to and a single outlet from each of said channels and each channel extends substantially completely around the annular space between the inner and outer shells.

(References on following page) References Cited by the ExaminerY UNITED STATES PATENTSr Malm 165-170 Hitchcock 165-90 Fasbury 165-167 Wendler et a1 1657-170 Hervey# 144-281 Berthelser 144-281 Onsrud 16S-170 l Maloney et a1. 10G-93 Gier 29-455 12 2,961,760 V11/60 'Hlton et al 29-455 3,135,319 6/64 Richards 165-89 l FOREIGN PATENTS 592,654A` 2/60 Canada. 5 382,996 k11/32 Great Britain.

639,007 6/50v vGreat Britain. 166,790 4/59 Sweden.

CHARLES SUKALO, Primary Examiner. 1 SAMUEL ROTHBERG, Examiner. 

1. HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS ADAPTED TO HAVE A FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM CIRCULATED THERETHROUGH TO MAINTAIN AN EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID APPARATUS AT A UNIFORM PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE, COMPRISING: (A) CONCENTRIC, SPACED APART, CYLINDRICAL INNER AND OUTER SHELLS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH, BOTH OF SAID SHELLS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS THROUGHOUT AND THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SHELLS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF EITHER OF SAID SHELLS AND SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE INNER RADIUS OF THE INNER SHELL; (B) END WALLS FIXED TO SAID SHELLS AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF; (C) LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, RADIALLY ORIENTED, EQUIANGULARLY SPACED PARTITIONS SEPARATING AND SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER SHELLS, SAID PARTITIONS BEING FIRST MEMBERS DISTINCT FROM SAID SHELLS AND FIXED THEREBETWEEN AND THE THICKNESS OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM AND SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ADJACENT PARTITIONS; (D) MEANS INCLUDING SECOND MEMBERS DISTINCT FROM SAID SHELLS AND SAID PARTITION MEMBERS AND FIXED THERETO CONNECTING THE PASSAGES BETWEEN SAID PARTITIONS INTO AT LEAST TWO INDEPENDENT, INTERESTED, LABYRINTHINE FLOW CHANNELS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF AND AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS AND HAVING A LENGTH WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF THE LENGTH OF SAID SHELLS; EACH OF SAID PASSAGES BEING ADJACENT A PASSAGE IN ANOTHER OF SAID CHANNELS; (E) MEANS COMPRISING A HEAT TRANSFER FLUID SUPPLY AND RETURN SYSTEM FOR INTRODUCING A HEAT TRANSFER FLUID INTO AND CAUSING IT TO FLOW IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THROUGH SAID CHANNELS; AND (F) MEANS BY WHICH SAID APPARATUS CAN BE ROTATED ABOUT AN AXIS COINCIDENT WITH THE CENTERLINE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL INNER AND OUTER SHELLS. 